basement bath height issues...

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roadk

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I am thinking of remodeling my unfinished basement ( home built in 1926) and would like to put in a full bath (with shower stall , toilet and sink). The problem is that the height to the bottom of the rafters is only 6' 5".
A toilet and sink wouldn't be an issue, but do you think i can get a shower in at that height?

thanks for any help or ideas you could offer.
-thomas
 

Jadnashua

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By the time you add the sloped shower bed and tile, it might be good for young people or really short adults. You'd need to add at least an inch or so if you used a surface membrane with the tile. If you did a conventional shower, with the preslope, liner and setting bed, it would be a little thicker yet. Then, you'd need something on the ceiling, and with that short a shower, you may want to tile the ceiling as well, losing a bit more.

To get the maximum height, you might put the showerhead in the middle as a rainshower; a shower arm in the wall would need room to screw in, then with the angle and head length, put it in the order of 6" or so from the ceiling. A rainshower head could be essentially at the ceiling. There may be a code issue here, I'm not sure.

The basement can usually be dug out, but it requires a structural engineer to ensure your foundation walls don't collapse. Where is your sewer connection, and how deep is it? this can add another big issue.
 

hj

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Most codes specify 7' as the minimum height. Any rainfall head hanging from the ceiling will detract from the head room, AND the flow pattern would not have any chance of spreading out before hitting the user. You might consider removing the floor and lowering the shower base to create a "step down" shower instead of a "step over the sill" one. That would add 4" or more to the headroom.
 

roadk

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thanks for the replies.
one of my thoughts was to dig out for the shower only and have a step down stall. i've never seen one before though. are they common?
anyone have any experience with them?
i would love to get even more than 4" form the step down if possible..
 

hj

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Just make one large enough so you have room for a step, or steps, and you can make it as deep as you wish to. At a certain point it would cease to be a shower and would become a Garden Tub with a shower.
 

Jadnashua

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The step would work if your drain lines run deep enough (or you'll need to add in a pump and sump system) and you make sure the step sizes and rise are within codes). You don't want small steps (in depth) or high (in rise) steps especially while negotiating them in your wet, bare feet. All of those extra transitions would be hard to waterproof, so a surface membrane is a good idea. Something like Kerdi from www.schluter.com would work. Keep in mind that most people are used to the shower floor (or tub bottom) are normally within at most 3-4" of each other, so the elevation change isn't a big deal. Make it bigger, and it starts to get risky. To make getting into and out of my deep tub, I put a safety bar where it's easy to grab on while climbing in or out. Making this anything out of the ordinary, and you'll probably want to incorporate something like that in yours as well. A recessed shower may not need a curb, depending on how deep it is recessed, which could make things easier or harder.
 

Ian Gills

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HJ raised the most important point.

My local code won't let me finish my basement unles the ceiling is at least 7 feet.

I just meet this requirement.
 
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